SN Board Suggestion Box

This is the Southern National Suggestion Box. The board would like to hear what the players are thinking. This is the place to state disc golf topics of concern or note.

Some rules:

1. Please just post suggestions. If someone whats to discuss one of the suggested topics please start a seperate thread. This is to keep the "box" manageable to read and not full of discussions. Rest assured the board will read each thread that comes from the suggestion box.

2. All posts that aren't viable suggestions will be deleted. Before the cry of censureship rings out - this is for the blatantly obvious ones like "everyone with the initials MK should be allowed to play for free". Any suggestion that has merits will be brought before the board.

Thanks in advance. You guys (and gals) ARE the Southern Nationals. What are you thinking about (disc golf-wise) ??

1. Players probably won't like this, even I really don't like it...BUT that doesn't mean it might not be best to do. I say that you don't post Tournament Results nor update Players Stats until that Tournament has gotten in their SN Fee's. If a Tournament doesnt get their Fee's in within I don't know...3 months...ban them from running a Tourney the next year.

2. Set up dedicated PO Box for the SN to send money to or corespondence to whenever Treasurer is decided.

3. Don't make a lot of rules that TD's or Players need to adhere to. Don't fix what isnt broken. Just improve on what you have.

1. Setup a time-frame for sactioning fees to be due, and list the results as "fees paid" AFTER they are received. Everyone wants to know the results of the events, so go ahead and post them.

Or maybe just change the colors of the header after they are paid. I am sure John would not have trouble with a little color on the Results page.

2. I we are to send the fees to the new treasurer, after they are chosen, just post the address to send the fees too, I don't see that as a big problem.

3. For the most part, the TD's running Southern National events are doing a pretty good job, I can't see too many major changes to the way most events are run. As the saying goes, the less rules you have, the less rules you have to administer!

I would like to see that Someone be put in charge to overseeing the courses for play before a "Major" event! The need for standards is a must!!! ie...Tee Signs, Tee that are "ready for tournament play",feasable airways, and baskets that are entrapment devices (correct height, level, not broken and won't wobble!), a map of the course and all holes and tees listed for playing in the Tourney This is just a few things that can and are overlooked at tourney time!
The time for equipment standards in our sport is past due!!! The person or persons should be comped entry and such, just as should those that are on the board!!! Just as with stick golf (ball golf), the volunteers are what make this sport the best!!!
PS...A big THANKS goes out to the Board for their time and effort ;which could have been spent playing golf!

Not a bad idea at all. Most small events are usually in pretty good shape due to local help and the TD's. This can get to be a big job when you have a major event, there is just too much to do, and not enough time for limited personel to acomplish.

Most courses have been put in by people who have a pretty good handle on "recreational" Disc Golf, this sometimes does not meet the needs of a championship tournaments though.

I would think it would not be too much of a job to have a commitee to assure the Pro & Amatuer Championships offer a challenging and varied course to play. After all, there are only two a year. Branching out to the larger State events would add a bit to the work, but I think it could be handled.

This would be something I would be very interested in being involved with, to be sure!

1. How about sticking back .50 of every $2 collected on each person, put it into an account and let it build and starting in say 2005 or 2006, adding it back to purses on select Tournaments during the Tour year. Thus helping Tour purses go up.

Might not work but sounds interesting. Just thinking off the top of my head.

1. A Link on the front page that you click on to see Past SN PRO and AM Results plus a SN Records page showing Most money won in a year...most Tournaments won..entered etc. Maybe even Misc. stuff that can be confirmed like Brad Webb's Tournament Ace on #14 at Wall Doxey. Kind of like this website-- [frivolist.com]

I like all the following ideas, but lets try to do something before the tourney begins.

1. Have a mandatory fee universal to all tournaments for registration for the tourney. Ex Am Men 23.00 Am women 23.00. This has been a problem for the past two years. Prices vary from tourney to tourney.

2. SN commisioners must have a quarterly meeting with all TD's in the state at the Td's course. This way if he hasn't played at that course, he can identify better with the players and TD's on what should be a major or championship tourney course.

I would like to see a permanent thread on this forum for the ladies to post which tournaments they will be attending. There are so few of us it is hard to support each other if we take off and go in different directions each weekend.

I would like to renew my suggestion that the championships serve as the culmination of the Southern National tournament year. In other words, that the championships (pro and am respectively) are the final event. I would also recommend strongly that points be awarded for the championships.

I think both the points and the ratings are a very positive step. It allows players to not only evaluate themselves against other players they may meet seldom on the field of competition due to geographic constraints. When their paths do occasionally intersect, the players will have a good idea of who they are up against.

One of the events at which those paths are most likely to intersect is the championships and it is in that forum that it makes most sense to award points based on performance. I would hazard a guess that it is one of, if not the deepest, field of the year. What better way to make a definistive analysis of a player's relative rating within his or her division.

Mikey Kernan is -2 after two rounds. Go Mikey. Shane Seal is +3 and Little O is +8. Man, that has to be some course! For you Memphis boyz, Scott Davis is +15 and my buddy Chad Smith is +12. Huntsville's Dean Tannock is in the clubhouse at -11! rWc

How much of a pain would it be to have a little icon to the left of the SNDG link on the favorites folder of web servers. Little icons such as the ones for google and ebay make it easier for people like me who have a lot of bookmarks to find a link. Just wondering.

I have heard this from others and it sounds like it would ease the minds of many folks. How about posting a transcript from the weekly meetings on the web site. I can make this easy for you via the online chat. Contact me for more info.

I can see good and bad things coming from a "complete" posting of the minutes of the board meetings. Yes, those who are truely concerned about the issues in front of us, and of course, the board, would like some information, just not information overload!

But, on the other hand, the board does not deserve to be blasted for every little thing that comes up.

I feel a basic reporting of the minutes, issues discussed, actual decisions made, finacial reporting, and so forth would be enough. I would hope the board would not feel like they need to respond to every critic. . and we seem to have more than our share, they have too much to do in the short amount of time they give up out of their personal lives on our account. It is becoming more of a business than just a bunch of disc golfers getting together, and needs to be approached from that mind set.

Brian, one more thing about the chat room, do you plan for users to eventually be able to have unique identities? I can see how this may become another issue!

Thanks for being there Brian. . . I know you do not hear it enough that you are appreciated for your time and efforts for us all.

I am not familiar with the stalwart person who helps SN run this website. Do you know if there is a way to create a restricted forum. In other words could we password protect a forum or thread for the use of our mobile club to use as a central rallying point as we progress through our growing pains ... a place where club members could air issues specific to Mobile without wrangling with the sometimes flamboyant, sometimes flammable (even incendiary) opinions of golfers from outside the area.

We will have a website eventually, but until then it would be a boon to have some substantive communication between club meetings, especially as we draw into the winter months where chance meetings on the course tend to grow fewer and farther between.

John- It appears that because of a typo that I show up on the points list more than once-- please try and fix this whenever possible- I sure that the thought of two of me is causing some people discomfort!!!! THANKS BUD

Ok, here is something else the PDGA did for 2004 that the SN Board needs to work out. The Pdga is dropping the Intermediate Master Division. The SN Board needs to decide on whether or not to follow the same divisions as the PDGA in order to be able to easily run a SN/Pdga trny.

You are right about that, teh PDGA has about 26 divisions, if you add them all up, the most I have ever seen at a Southern National event is about 10. It is pretty hard to make the two mesh very well.

I know that I have started printing my leader board cards with the PDGA divison codes on them and using the PDGA verbage so that I can be ready for a dual sactioned event. Also I do a lot of printing for other TD's, some of which are for PDGA events, and you have to have cards for all the divisions. . just in case!

I suggest the SN keep it easy and simple and smart. The only reason for so many Divisions that I can think of is to let more people cash. I am sorry but the worlds not like that. Some people actually lose! :) My suggestion is two fold. When its a Southern National Tourney, you have the following Divisions only.

Also don't FORCE every Tournament to offer every Division. Make it a TD option. Again, the Southern National does things right by giving their TD's freedom and TRUSTING them to run things well. Perhaps Memphis or Mobile or Jackson could offer every Division but places like Rosedale could not. It would be too confusing and expensive.

I know that some will disagree with me, ( Dicky! ) but the Southern Nationals has done things right by keeping things simple. Simple is the key to having fun and running a good business!

My 2nd suggestion is to go by PDGA Divisions when a Tournament is both. If someone plays in a Division not covered by the Southern National Divisions, then list them as a Tournament played but don't give them points that count towards stats. YES it will count towards the end of the year as far as qualifying for the Championship, but it won't show up points wise...for example if someone plays in a stupid PRO2 Division. List the Tournament that the person played in but don't register the points...kind of like John did for the Southern National Championships under the stats.